The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Possibly when there is little left to eat but whilst food is there in a place hardly ever disturbed by man....

I agree Shaun. Pitt Pond, which I wrote about in my book, was so similar to Woldale. The otter kept returning until it had eaten every fish over the course of a winter. Lovely Leneys to upper thirties in weight. Even then it didn't move on but kept returning to feed on the crayfish. Piles of carp scales were replaced by piles of carapaces. Fencing is the only effective measure that's legal I'm afraid and that just isn't a practical proposition at Woldale, in the same way that it wasn't at Pitt...

FarliesBirthday wrote:It's there any chance of the otters moving on eventually, - as they apparently did at Redmire and which they certainly did at a local pool I fish, without any human intervention?

For info Redmire does have a measure of otter fence which extends along the dam wall and prevents an otter moving up stream from below. I'm not sure whether is has made a difference but as there is also 'Little' Redmire below the main pool which holds lots of smaller fish so maybe the otter was happy to feed there and so avoid the fence.

At Woldale, might it be possible to increase the human presence this winter, - a kind of temporary otter watch rota, to scare them off?
The farm pond near me, which had an otter problem, is surrounded by heavily worked farmland, and perhaps that saved most of the fish..?

12 bore with a silencer!! (Jasper Carrot and his moles).

what M'Lud, Mr Otter must have moved on or got run over!

Gaz

I took a couple of walks around Woldale during July and August this year. Didn't see much sign of otters; mind you didn't see many carp either. Plenty of smaller fish around and the lakes looked great, silting up a little though.